Arietis, Vandières, Brut Nature

Wine Description for Arietis Vandières Brut Nature by Alexis

Colour & Appearance

Light to medium straw yellow with lively, fine-grained perlage – a Champagne that promises precision from the moment it touches the glass.

Nose

Cool, clear and of striking elegance. The nose opens with lemon cream, green mandarin and grapefruit zest, accompanied by a hint of bitter orange liqueur and white tea. Beneath shimmer mace, white pepper and a delicate note of vanilla butter – embedded in cool, chalky depth. Ethereal, precise, unmistakably mineral.

Palate

The attack is of striking finesse: ultra-fine mousse, cool character, a chalky, phenolic bite that gives the wine contour and tension. Citric aromas meet stone fruit and cape gooseberry, a hint of hop shoots and delicate smoke complete the picture. The acidity is razor-sharp and forms the all-defining backbone of this light-footed, focused Champagne.

Finish

Long, weightless and saline-mineral. The aftertaste is characterised by chalky minerality and ripe acidity – not a gram of dosage disturbs the purity of this finish.

Terroir & Origin

A pure parcel Champagne from the lieu-dits La Perchotte and La Forzie in Vandières on the right bank of the Marne. The soil – a mosaic of chalky marl, clay and sand – gives the wine its characteristic coolness and precise minerality. No spectacle, but the expression of a clearly defined place.

Grape Variety & Vinification

100% Pinot Meunier – fermented with vineyard-own yeasts, aged in 400-litre tonneaux, without malolactic fermentation. Around 24 months on lees in the bottle, disgorged as Brut Nature without dosage. The Alexis Leconte winery has been working Demeter-certified biodynamically since 2023 – lunar calendar, green cover, spontaneous fermentation included.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Ideal with oysters and raw shellfish, with ceviche or yellowfin tuna tartare. Equally convincing with goat’s cheese of some maturity or with Asian-spiced squid dishes. Those who drink it solo are equally right.

Special Features

This Champagne exemplifies a new generation of vigneron-propriétaires in the Vallée de la Marne who regard Meunier not as a filler but as an independent, age-worthy grape variety. Alexis Leconte’s Arietis is a commitment to structure over opulence – and a convincing one at that.